Huge release brings the cosmic Cape Verde sound to the world

Analog Africa’s next release is already making waves collecting some of the rarest and most sought after records at present. Space Echo: The Mystery Behind The Cosmic Sound Of Cabo Verde – building on the compiling of labels like Sofrito – will rightly highlight this island’s masterpieces.

There’s an amazing tale being told about how this place got it’s distinctive sound. It involves a boat bound for Brazil being marooned in 1968 on the São Nicolau island of Cabo Verde (now Cape Vede, but then a Portuguese territory 350 miles off the west coast of Africa). The boat was bound for an exhibition in Rio carrying the latest in musical technology. Korgs, Moogs and Hammond organs were then distributed from the ship’s containers among the islanders. It created a musical explosion leading to trippy, futuristic takes on more traditional forms. It was the 1970s and these tracks were cut to record by a generation of new musicians who now had access to cutting edge instruments. This fertile period of musical exploration and identity forging provided the soundtrack to the gaining of independence in 1975.

One of the triumphs of the Analog Africa label is to highlight the different histories, cultures and musical nuances between all of the countries it brings into focus. This compilation is jaw-dropping in that respect.